MOSCOW CLEANS UP PARTY MESS AFTER VICTORY

MOSCOW: Moscow city worker Nikolai Bardayev didn’t celebrate Russia’s shock win against Spain on Sunday. He was too busy cleaning up the mess.

After a night of delirium as Russia reached the World Cup quarter-finals, on Monday morning clean-up crews tackled a mountain of trash and swept up cigarette butts and shards of broken glass left over from the celebrations. A loader even drove away with 21 black bags filled with garbage and cardboard boxes as commuters wobbled through the city centre with an enduring feeling of elation.

A PERFECT GIFT FOR RUSSIAN NEWLYWEDS

PUSHKIN:Russian couple Yekaterina and Dmitry Vasilyev enjoyed a perfect wedding celebration on Sunday as they briefly halted their nuptials to watch the hosts defy the odds by beating Spain in a penalty shootout to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

The couple were huddled around a mobile phone as they witnessed Russia’s Igor Akinfeev save shots from Koke and Iago Aspas to send unfancied Russia through to the last eight.

JAPAN FANS FLOCK FOR WORLD CUP WIN

TOKYO:When Japan’s Blue Samurai took on Belgium on Monday for a spot in the World Cup quarter-finals, fans nationwide had packed spots from bars to temples to cheer them on.

Since Japan weren’t even expected to qualify from their group after a disappointing run up to the tournament, the team’s surprise turnaround has delighted fans at home, with people determined to stay up and cheer the team throughout.